New Delhi, September 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has said all-rounder Hardik Pandya is not yet ready to bowl his full quota of 10 overs in ODIs and will not be rushed back into international cricket as he continues his recovery from injury.
Pandya has not played competitive cricket since the 2026 IPL, having been sidelined after suffering a back injury while leading Mumbai Indians. A quadriceps injury and subsequent leg niggle also kept him out of India’s white-ball assignments against Afghanistan, Ireland, England and Zimbabwe.
Although Pandya missed India’s 3-0 T20I series win over Afghanistan and the upcoming white-ball series against the West Indies, he has been included in the India A squad for the 50-over series against Australia A. His participation, however, remains subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Gambhir said Pandya’s workload would have to be managed carefully, particularly in ODIs.
“Hardik at the moment, yes, he cannot bowl 10 overs and he hasn’t played a lot of cricket since the IPL. So we don’t want to push him into international cricket because international cricket can be extremely tough on your body as well,” Gambhir said after India completed a 3-0 T20I series sweep against Afghanistan with a 127-run victory in New Delhi.
He said the India A series could provide Pandya with valuable game time before a possible return to India’s T20I and ODI squads, provided he comes through it successfully.
With Pandya unavailable, India withdrew seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy from the Asian Games squad and included him in the white-ball series against the West Indies, beginning with a three-match ODI series in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27.
Gambhir said the move would benefit Reddy, who has also been short of competitive cricket since the IPL. Reddy missed India’s tours of Ireland, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe due to a quadriceps strain but bounced back with consecutive three-wicket hauls against Afghanistan after an expensive opening game.
“One of the biggest positives” from the Afghanistan series, Gambhir said, was Reddy’s bowling progress.
“We know how important seam-bowling all-rounders will be probably in a year’s time when we go to South Africa and Namibia,” he said, adding that having more than one player capable of contributing with both bat and ball would give India greater flexibility.
Gambhir also acknowledged that India’s preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup has been affected by the absence of several first-choice players from the West Indies series because of the Asian Games.
“It’s not ideal,” he said, while noting that the situation would give players such as Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi an opportunity to establish themselves in 50-over cricket. He said a larger pool of players would ultimately benefit India.
The coach also admitted that recurring injuries and players missing entire series have made it difficult for India to build consistency, particularly with ODI captain Shubman Gill.
Gambhir said it was important for Gill to have India’s strongest available team playing together as regularly as possible ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
“For me, I think it is important for Shubman to get the best team and eleven as many times as he can in red ball and in white ball formats as well,” he said.
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